12 Tory promises from 2015 that Theresa May has dropped in 2017

posted by Tom Watson | -5sc
May 18, 2017

In 2015, the Tories stood on a manifesto full of promises they couldn't deliver. Now, just two years later, they've called another election and published a new manifesto. And there are a few things missing.

Here are 12 Tory promises from 2015 that Theresa May has dropped in 2017:

1) No tax rises

The 2015 manifesto said that the Conservatives would not increase the rates of VAT, Income Tax or National Insurance in the next Parliament. Philip Hammond tried to break that promise by raising National Insurance Contributions in the 2017 Budget, and now the 2017 manifesto promises not to increase VAT, but makes no commitment not to raise income tax or National Insurance.

2) Rising living standards

The 2015 Tory manifesto promised to "continue to raise living standards". There is no mention of living standards anywhere in the 2017 manifesto.

3) A balanced budget by 2017-18

The 2015 manifesto promised to "deliver a balanced structural current budget in 2017-18". Now the Tories are promising "a balanced budget by the middle of the next decade". That's ten years later than George Osborne originally promised in 2010.

4) Falling national debt

In 2015, the Tory manifesto said that from 2018-19 onwards, the government would start reducing the national debt. That promise has vanished from the 2017 manifesto.

5) Staying in the single market

The Tories 2015 manifesto said "We say: Yes to the Single Market". The 2017 manifesto... doesn't.

6) Eliminating child poverty

In 2015 the Tories said "We will work to eliminate child poverty". The 2017 manifesto removes that ambition, saying merely that "We want to reduce levels of child poverty".

7) Scrapping the Human Rights Act

The last Tory manifesto promised to scrap the Human Rights Act. This one promises *not* to scrap the Human Rights Act while the process of Brexit is underway.

8) Becoming the most prosperous major economy in the world

In 2015 the Tories said they would "pursue our ambition to become the most prosperous major economy in the world by the 2030s". Now, even though the manifesto has the words "Our plan for a stronger and more prosperous future" in the title, that ambition has gone.

9) £12 billion of welfare savings

The last Tory manifesto promised “We will find £12 billion from welfare savings”, but the Tories discovered that this was impossible without cutting tax credits and disability benefits. The promise has been ditched: instead, the manifesto says that "We have no plans for further radical welfare reform in this parliament"

10) Keeping council taxes low

The last manifesto boasted "We will help keep your council taxes low". The new one boasts about council tax increases, saying that the government is "allowing councils to raise more money for care themselves from Council Tax".

11) The triple lock on pensions

The last manifesto promised "We will keep the triple lock pension system." This one says it will be dropped in 2020 and replaced with a "new Double Lock, meaning that pensions will rise in line with the earnings that pay for them, or in line with inflation – whichever is highest" - so pensioners could see lower pension increases from 2020.

12) £350 million a week for the NHS

OK, so this wasn't in the Tories' 2015 manifesto. But it was plastered on the side of a bus, used by senior Conservatives including the Foreign Secretary to campaign around the country. There's no sign of it here.